A gift from a patient

This week I received a gift from a patient: really the 1st gift I’ve ever received from someone I’ve cared for as a nurse. This came at a time when I have been contemplating my current job satisfaction. You see, I’ve entered into a period of “calm.” Yes, things can get stressful, but overall, I’m realizing that my job is really quite nice! I’ve been in it just long enough to have gained familiarity and comfort with the basics so that I can actually do my job well and I’ve started to create some relationships with my coworkers that are pretty great.
When I first started this new job I’ll admit I was pretty miserable! My husband urged me to give it 3-6 months and focus on the little things to get me through the rough shifts. Unfortunately there weren’t many enjoyable things to focus on: the good stuff was buried deep and my cup was pretty empty, as it were.

Yet now I am uncovering gems everywhere:  a very thankful and compliant patient population, coworkers who tell it like it is and have my back when things get rough, and a boss who is giving me carte blanche to instigate some change and grow in my own expertise by doing so. In other words, they like me and I really like them!

The funny thing is that I had to really give this job some time–and will have to continue to stay put in the game for a while longer to really get comfortable and happy. I’ll admit I was so stressed I was ready to jump ship a month into things, but am glad I’ve hung in there.

And so, I was given this gift from a  patient, with a really nice thank-you note, and with it came the realization that I am beginning to actually like my job. I’ve amassed enough “little things” to equate some big job satisfaction. And with a newly filled cup I am ready to go into the new year with high hopes for my career!